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VCCC Spring 2012 Program List

1.  Program Day: Tumbling Downwards, Fumbling Upwards: Embracing Grief and Loss.  Friday, March 16, 2012 - 10 AM -
3 PM

$35, includes lunch

Facilitator - The Rev Jeanne Finan
Sooner or later we all experience some type of loss in our lives--the loss of a loved one, the loss of our health, a job, a marriage, the future as we planned and imagined it to be. Lent is a time to courageously face the wilderness and to rekindle the hopes that will bring us to resurrection. Using story, poetry, scripture, and prayers, as well as time for quiet reflection and exploring the surrounding beauty of Valle Crucis, this day offers a window into our own holiness in the midst of the holy season of Lent. The Rev. Jeanne Finan is an Episcopal priest who serves at St. John's Episcopal Church in Asheville, NC. She also leads retreats, offers spiritual direction, writes and celebrates the spiritual journey we all travel and share.

 

2.  Weekend Writers Workshop - In Spring our Thoughts Turn to Writing.  Friday - Sunday, March 16-18, 2012
$200.00, includes two nights lodging, all meals and program
Facilitator - Katerina Whitley
We gather at beautiful Valle Crucis to receive inspiration and to inspire one another by sharing our stories. We are indeed people of the story, and this story has expanded since we started writing together in 2007. A core group of spiritual women who love to write meets regularly, but we welcome those others who want to join us. All you need is the desire and ability to express your inner self through the written word. If you are interested, please send your favorite writing to katewhitley@charter.net. She will respond to you. We honor the Word and words, and we respect one another's gifts in fellowship and joy.

 

3.  Program Day: Teresa of Avila: Reformer, Contemplative, Free Spirit.  Friday, April 13, 2012 - 10 AM - 3 PM
$35, includes lunch
Facilitator - The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor, Bishop Diocese of Western North Carolina
Some of us have a firm direction for our lives. A few of us have a firm direction for our world, but a very few are able to incarnate the vision that God gives them for their lives and the world. Teresa of Avila is such a person. A mystic, a poet, a reformer of the Carmelite tradition, she is one on the two women named by the Roman Catholic Church as "Doctor of the Church." Teresa reformed the Carmelites and established 14 convents over all of Spain by personally walking through that vast country. She wrote numerous books about the mystical path and had as her confessor, St. John of the Cross.
Teresa has much to teach us in our time about perseverance in the face of hardship as well as aligning one's will with the divine will. She is a saint of courage and a fierce lover of Christ. The program will include a biographical presentation as well as an exploration of her particular spirituality. One of her poems gives a taste of her wisdom. Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things pass away; God never changes.
Patience obtains all things. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing; God alone suffices.

   

4.  Program Day: Enneagram Practices that Support the Opening of the Heart.  Friday, May 4, 2012 - 10 AM - 3 PM
$45, includes lunch
Facilitator - Sandra Smith, M.Div, Certified Enneagram Consultant
“What is the greatest obstacle to your deepest prayer?” How do you consistently block yourself  from living and loving fully? We have a plethora of material on spiritual practices from centering prayer to meditation, to walking the labyrinth to breath practices. However, when we add personality type into the mix, we discover that some practices work to continue our “automatic mode” while other practices help us wake up.
This workshop will explore specific practices for the nine Enneagram types that help loosen the grip of our ego structure so we live more fully who God created us to be.
Sandra Smith is a certified Enneagram teacher in the Palmer/Daniels Narrative Tradition and is on the faculty of the East Coast Enneagram Intensive training program. She has an M.Div from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She makes her home in Asheville.

 

5.  Program Day: With Our Labyrinths.  Monday, May 21, 2012 - 10 AM - 3 PM
$35, includes lunch
Facilitator - Tom Eshelman
Have you heard about labyrinths and want to know more? Now is your chance! In this day long retreat you will learn about the fascinating history of this ancient tool of walking meditation and prayer as you spend the day walking our indoor and outdoor labyrinths.
Please wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes and bring a journal. There will be lots of handouts and plenty of time for questions.
Tom is the Executive Director of the Conference Center and has been facilitating labyrinth workshops for 15 years.